Lake Nipissing will be the site of a major bass fishing tournament that will take place July 22 to 24.
The Hank Gibson Provincial Provincial Qualifier will bring in 200 bass fishing competitors with over 80 per cent from out of town.
The event is being organized by the City of North Bay, North Bay Tourism and the local North Bay Bassmasters club.
"Anybody from the community can join," said Matthew Koprash, president of North Bay Bassmasters.
"We have boaters and non-boaters so anglers just interested in tournament fishing can come out and join our club and we will partner you up with a boater and they will take you out to the water for a tournament situation."
Koprash says there is just something special about fishing for Bass.
"The fight itself is a remarkable fight," admitted Koprash about fishing for bass at this catch and release event.
"Pickerel they generally bite and you bring them in, whereas bass, they are going to fight you to until the bitter end. It is an exhilarating fish to catch."
The Hank Gibson Provincial Qualifier is described as an annual event that tests the skills of all the club members in Ontario against one another.
The top 10 boaters and non-boaters make team Ontario and proceed to compete against other clubs in the 2023 Northeast Championship Tournament in the U.S with hopes of going on to the Bassmaster Classic.
Event organizers expect the out-of-town anglers to spend 3 to 7 days in the area with an economic spinoff from the event estimated at about $750,000 to $1,000,000.
"North Bay Bassmasters have been awesome in bringing this event to the city," said Dave Mendicino, a North Bay city councillor who hosted Friday's press conference at the waterfront.
"They are bringing 200 anglers to the city with their families and they will be here for a week and they will be spending all that money in our downtown and the waterfront and enjoy all the amenities that we have down here."
